According to the official statement released by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has joined hands with the Indian Institute of Technology- Bombay (IIT-Bombay) to develop a touchless biometric capture system for easier usage anytime and anywhere.Both organisations will together conduct joint research to build a mobile capture for fingerprints as per the new Memorandum of Understanding signed. Once the biometric system is developed it will allow fingerprint authentication from home, like face authentication. It will allow the authentication success rate further. Once the new system is in place, it will be an addition to the existing facilities available in the Aadhaar ecosystem.According to the information, the system will use an intelligent combination of signal or image processing and machine learning or deep learning with a common mobile phone available to most citizens with a good user experience. This will be another step in making Universal Authenticator a reality.To lead the joint engagement in research and development for the system, a collaboration has been done between UIDAI and IIT-Bombay through its National Centre of Excellence in Technology for Internal Security.NCETIS is a joint initiative by IIT-Bombay and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the flagship of the Digital India Programme.Aadhaar authenticationsUIDAI presently logs between 70 and 80 million Aadhaar authentications per day, according to the official data. The Aadhaar number is submitted to UIDAI for matching along with the Aadhaar holders identifying data, such as biometric or demographic data, during the authentication process. The UIDAI then checks to see if the number matches the data associated with the Aadhaar holder. For Aadhaar, UIDAI has been introducing new features and using new technology. UIDAI introduced a new artificial intelligence-based security system in February for Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication and quicker spoofing attempt detection.The new system will cut down the chances of spoofing attempts, by adding two-layer authentication which has added extra checks to validate the genuineness of the fingerprint. The artificial intelligence and machine learning-based security mechanisms are completely in-house and made by UIDAI.As per new records, by the end of December 2022, the cumulative number of Aadhaar authentication had crossed 88.29 billion and with an average transaction of 70 million per day. The fact that most of them use fingerprint authentications shows how common and useful they are in daily life. Authentication transactions have been on the rise, and they enable several services and welfare advantages.Aadhar Mitra: AI based ChatbotThe UIDAI has recently launched a new app called Aadhaar Mitra which is an Artificial Intelligence-based chatbot that will be able to answer all the queries of the consumers related to the Aadhaar card. The new Artificial Intelligence will be available in both English and Hindi language and will be able to answer questions related to the Aadhaar enrolment number, PVC Card order status, complaint status, and many other things related to it.PAN Card- Aadhaar linkingThe government has extended the deadline for linking Aadhaar and PAN to June 30, 2023, following the new regulations. Earlier, all taxpayers were required to link their permanent account number (PAN) with their Aadhaar by March 31, 2023, as requested by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). They also said that any noncompliance will result in the PAN being rendered useless starting on April 1, 2023. However, the deadline has been extended. To continue conducting transactions in the stock market, investors must link their permanent account number (PAN) with their Aadhaar card, according to the capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
